


Chemical Colors

by steelplatedhearts



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-12-23 01:36:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/920460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steelplatedhearts/pseuds/steelplatedhearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Thank you, Dr. Geiszler,” the Marshall says, a note of warning in his voice. Dr. Geiszler either doesn’t get the hint or ignores it, continuing his questions.<br/>“Okay, one thing—did it look like the Kaiju knew where it was going, or was it just randomly attacking things?” he says, eyes widening even further.<br/>Mako looks up at him, smiles, and then very deliberately stomps on his foot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chemical Colors

When she is thirteen years old and fresh from Tokyo, still settling into her new life, Mako Mori is given the grand tour of the Jaeger program. Near the end of the tour, Marshall Pentecost takes her down to the science division and introduces her to Dr. Gottlieb and Dr. Geiszler.

Dr. Gottlieb introduces himself and shakes her hand solemnly, tells her it’s nice to meet her, and offers to let her observe the lab from time to time, as long as she doesn’t cause a fuss. Mako takes a liking to him instantly.

Dr. Geiszler, on the other hand, calls her “kiddo,” ruffles her hair, and starts quizzing her down on what it was like to be in the Kaiju attack.

“Was it awesome? I bet it was awesome,” he says, eyes wide. “I mean, that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity—”

“ _Thank you_ , Dr. Geiszler,” the Marshall says, a note of warning in his voice. Dr. Geiszler either doesn’t get the hint or ignores it, continuing his questions.

“Okay, one thing—did it look like the Kaiju knew where it was going, or was it just randomly attacking things?” he says, eyes widening even further.

Mako looks up at him, smiles, and then very deliberately stomps on his foot.

Dr. Geiszler howls in pain and topples over, while Dr. Gottlieb doubles over with laughter.

“Mako!”

“I’m sorry, Marshall,” she says, bowing her head. “It won’t happen again.”

“It’s not me you need to apologize to, Mako,” he says.

She sighs, squatting to reach Dr. Geiszler’s level. “I am very sorry, Dr. Geiszler,” she says, as sincerely as she can get. “It won’t happen again.”

“That’s cool,” he says, wheezing as he sits up. “Call me Newt.”

*   *   *   *   *  

She avoids the science department for a few weeks after that, but when Chuck Hansen, the only other person her age around, gets grounded for trying to sneak off-base, she ends up drifting back down to the labs out of sheer boredom.

“Hello, Dr. Gottlieb,” she says, standing in the doorway and bowing. “Is Dr. Geiszler here?”

“Hello, Miss Mori,” he says. “No, he’s not. Don’t worry, I think I’ve managed to drum some manners into him. By the way,” he says as Mako approaches his lab bench, “it’s best just to call him Newt. He puts up such a fuss otherwise.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. What are you working on?” she asks, pulling up a nearby stool.

“We’re trying to predict when the Kaiju will come through the breach,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “It’s seemingly random so far, but I believe there’s a pattern to it.”

“Good morning, grumpyface!” Newt sings out as he comes through the door, toting a large plastic tub. “Time for science.”

“We’ve got company, Newton. _Do_ try to behave.”

“Company—hey, kiddo! How’s it going!” Newt asks, plunking the tub down.

“My name is Mako,” she says stiffly.

“Right, Mako—wanna see a Kaiju brain?”

“Of course she doesn’t want to see a Kaiju brain,” Dr. Gottlieb says despairingly. “Have some _respect_ , Newton.”

“They give you dead Kaiju parts?” Mako asks, peering into the tub. Dr. Gottlieb groans, but she stays focused on the guts in the tub.

“All in the name of science,” Newt says cheerfully.

“What are you going to do with them?”

“Cut ‘em up and see what’s inside!” Newt says.

Mako considers this for a moment, then looks up. “Can I help?”

Newt looks thrilled. “Hell yeah, you can help. Here, take this knife.” He gives her a knife and a pair of gloves, then plops a section of Kaiju on the table. “Just slice it right there,” he says, tracing a line with his finger.

Mako stares at the piece of Kaiju for a moment, then stabs the Kaiju viciously, knife sinking deep into the meat. Newt raises his eyebrows, and Dr. Gottlieb starts spluttering.

“…Okay, new plan,” Newt says. “Wanna blow it up?”

“Blow it up?” Dr. Gottlieb says incredulously. “Why would you possibly need to do that?”

“It’s for science!” Newt says. “Besides, we’ve got spare parts. Whaddya say, Mako?”

Mako smiles. “Let’s blow it up.”

Newt claps his hands together, punching a fist in the air. “Great! I know I’ve got some C4 around here, hang on—”

He turns away to rummage around, and Dr. Gottlieb speaks up. “Are you _completely_ irresponsible, or is this a new development?”

“Found it!” Newt says, waving the C4 triumphantly over his head. “Here, Mako, hold this.”

“I give up,” Dr. Gottlieb sighs. “I’ll send a wreath to the funeral.”

Mako gets Kaiju guts in her hair, and Newt gets hit in the face with a flying chunk, but there’s something innately satisfying about pressing a button and destroying a Kaiju, even if it’s only a small part of one.

“Thank you, Newt,” she says with a slight nod. “I had fun.”

“I did too, kiddo,” he says. “Come back any time.”

He ruffles her hair again as he leaves, but this time, she doesn’t mind so much.

*   *   *   *   *  

She officially enrolls in the Jaeger Academy the next year, and her spare time dwindles until she only gets to hang out in the lab once every few weeks or so. She ends up spending more time with Chuck once he enrolls, sparring and studying constantly.

The fighting is easy. The studying is more difficult.

“This is the end,” Chuck groans, flopping over. It’s a cold, rainy Thursday, and they have an exam coming up. “We’re going to fail. It’s over. We’re done.”

“We just need to try a different tactic,” Mako says, blinking at her notes. “Shake it up a bit.”

“If you’ve got something besides flashcards, please let me know,” Chuck grumbles, trying to balance a pencil on his nose.

Mako shuts her book and tips her head back against the wall, thinking. “Well,” she says slowly, “I don’t have anything, but I know someone who might.”

Five minutes later, she’s following the oh-so-familiar path down to the labs, Chuck at her heels. “Hey, Dr. Gottlieb, I have a—Newt, what did you do to your hair?”

Newt looks up from his work and grins, running his fingers through the electric blue streak. “Hey, kiddo. You like it? It’s Kaiju blood.”

“You dyed your hair with Kaiju blood?” Chuck asks incredulously. “Won’t that kill you?”

“It’s detoxified,” Newt says. “Very scientific process.”

“How’d you even know it would dye hair?” Mako asks, fascinated. She stands on her tiptoes to inspect the streak, and Newt dips his head down for her to get a closer look.

“I didn’t,” he says. “I just wanted to see what would happen.”

“Take notes, children,” Dr. Gottlieb says. “This is how _not_ to do science.”

“It’s kinda cool,” Chuck says. “Dyeing your hair with the blood of our enemies.”

“It’s not—” Newt starts, but Mako quickly elbows him before he can get into his standard “Kaiju-are-great” rant.

“We need some help, Dr. Gottlieb,” she says, redirecting the conversation. “We’re having trouble with the Jaeger tech.”

Dr. Gottlieb is happy to help, and Newt’s train of thought is derailed. Mako sits with Chuck and takes notes, but her eyes keep flicking back to the blue streak.

*   *   *   *   *  

In 2019, Mako and Chuck go their separate ways, which sounds much more genial than it actually is.

Words are hurled, punches are thrown, and Mako spends three days hiding in the lab, decidedly not crying and obsessively watching Striker Eureka punch its way through the Kaiju on television.

Dr. Gottlieb mostly leaves her alone, putting out cups of tea where she can get them, and Newt gives her a few spare hunks of Kaiju to cut up when she wants.

On the third day, she unfolds herself from her perch on the lab bench and asks, “Do you have any more of the detoxified Kaiju blood?”

“In that bin over there,” Newt says, waving his hand vaguely. “Why?”

“Can you help me dye my hair?”

The process takes a while, as Newt has to make sure that the blood doesn’t stain anything besides her hair, but eventually her hair is bright neon blue.

“You should do something with it,” Newt says, inspecting her hair. “Style it or— _hang on I have a great idea_.” He grabs her hand and drags her out of the lab, chattering all the way.

“The Russians are in town,” he says. “The Kaidonovskys came across to help out, and the lady—I think her name is Sasha—does this cool braidy thing.”

“That’s okay,” Mako says, tripping over her feet while trying to keep up. “We don’t want to bother them.”

“It’s not a bother!” He screeches to a halt and bangs on a door. “Excuse me, hello, hair emergency!”

The door opens, revealing a small blonde woman with bright red lipstick. “Yes?”

“Hi, Sasha—can I call you Sasha?”

“No.”

“Okay, well, can you braid her hair?” Newt asks, pushing Mako forward.

Sasha Kaidonovsky considers her for a moment, then steps aside, motioning them in. “Aleksis, your hairstyling skills are needed.”

Newt herds Mako into the room and plops her down in front of Aleksis Kaidonovsky, who immediately begins to braid the sides of her hair, his large fingers surprisingly nimble.

“That’s an interesting color,” Sasha says, running a strand through her fingers. “Looks like Kaiju blue.”

“It is,” Mako says quietly. Sasha raises her eyebrows, taken aback, before giving Mako a sharp smile.

“You’re going to be a pilot, aren’t you?”

“I hope to be.”

“Good luck,” she says. “With that attitude, you’ll be all right.”

“The braids are done,” Aleksis rumbles.  

“Look at you!” Newt says proudly. “Let me tell you, kiddo, that’s a great fucking color.”

“Thanks,” Mako says, running her fingers over the braids. “Thank you, Lieutenant Kaidonovsky,” she says with a bow.

He nods back at her. “No problem.”

Turns out it _is_ a problem.

Marshall Pentecost takes one look at her hair and sends her to find some black dye, hoping to cover up the blue. She sits down with Newt again, handing him the box of dye.

“Here’s what I’ll do for you, kiddo,” Newt says, slipping on the plastic gloves. “I’ll leave the tips blue. That leaves some blue for you, but an understated look to make your dad happy.”

She goes to dinner with blue streaks down the side of her face, and nobody comments. Newt gives her a thumbs up from across the dining hall.

*   *   *   *   *  

Newt becomes her supplier for Kaiju Blue hair dye, but when they lose their funding and move to Hong Kong, hair dye becomes less important.

Between relocating, refurbishing Danger, her training, and studying Raleigh Becket, she doesn’t get to see Newt for long stretches at a time, and doesn’t get to properly talk to him until after the breach is closed.

She brings lunch to his lab off a tip from Dr. Gottlieb, who’s starting to get concerned about his eating habits and sleeping patterns.

“I hear you drifted with a Kaiju,” she says, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“Yeah, well, I hear you _killed_ all the Kaiju,” he counters.

“And I helped save the world. You’re welcome.”

“I helped you help save the world, so _you’re_ welcome.”

She giggles. “So I guess I’m going to have to switch to regular hair dye now, huh?”

Newt smirks, adjusting his glasses. “See, I thought of that, actually. I’ve been messing around with chemicals, and I think I’ve found a substitute. Looks the same, but we don’t have to punch a monster in the face to get it.”

“So what are we going to do now?” she asks softly. “No more monsters to punch, yeah?”

“I don’t know about you,” Newt says, grinning, “but I’m going to be a rockstar.”

“Sure,” she says, nudging him with her shoulder. “And I’ll be a kindergarten teacher.”

He starts spluttering indignantly, and she laughs. It’s the loudest laugh she can remember since the Kaiju came. 


End file.
